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When buying a home, it is extremely important to take stock of “externals”.

The inside of a house reflects a person’s taste and can usually be easily modified, but the outside of a house is less controllable. Neighbours, the community, council restrictions and structural issues usually fall into the externals category and can be a source of great angst and expense.

Consider the following when assessing the neighbours and community:

• Drive around the area to see if there are any surprises, like factories.
• Determine whether it is close to public transport, hospitals, parks, childcare, recreation centres or commercial premises.
• Ask the vendor whether the neighbours from hell live next door and if so, why don’t they get along? It may be that the problem is not a problem for you. Vendors must tell you if they have had disputes with their neighbours.
• Are there barking dogs or crowing roosters next door or over the road?
• Do noisy hooligans live next door?
• Is there much traffic?
• Is there a school near to the house? This can be good, but if you are too close, you may find yourself competing for car space outside your house, not to mention the noise.
• For people looking for five-acre blocks, look for roosters, barking dogs and trail bikes for kids. These can drive you mad if you think you are going to have peace and quiet in a semi-rural setting.
• If you are buying near the bush, assess the fire implications.
• Check there are no big holes, hidden mineshafts, etc, or any other undesirable features in the landscape.
• Is the house near a giant power pole? This will usually affect the resale value and may affect your health.
• Ditto for factories belching smoke or pollution into local water supplies or major traffic arteries that also create pollution.
• Spend a couple of hours in the car checking out the locality. Is it your kind of neighbourhood? If you like trees, are there lots of trees? If you have children, are there other children? Do you like to eat out?

Having sussed out the neighbourhood, the next thing to assess is the grounds and gardens. A few things to keep in mind include:

• Garden maintenance. If you want a low-maintenance yard and dislike leaf litter, choose appropriately. It is very difficult to gain council approval to chop down trees or lop branches.
• Are there trees in your neighbour’s garden that overhang your yard? If you do not like the trees, it could be a subject of dispute.
• If you don’t like trees and leaves, examine the street. Big trees drop leaves that blow well beyond the boundaries of their houses and are clearly visible. They usually are protected by council.
• Does the yard require clearing? This could cost $1000 or more.
• Check the fences and gates. The cost of a new fence is usually shared with the neighbour and usually costs at least $1000*. If the existing fence is not compliant with council regulations and your neighbour wishes it to be fixed, you must comply.
• If the house runs on septic, have the tank checked.
• Are the decking and verandas stable?
• Is the clothesline in a convenient place that catches the sun?
• If there is a swimming pool, check the pumps and its general condition.
• Make sure the yard is well drained, particularly if you are located at the bottom of a hill. Living in a swamp is no fun.
• Check the condition of sheds and pergolas.

Last but not least in your inventory of externals is the house itself. Problems here can prove extremely costly so make sure you tick off the following:

• Are the roof tiles slipping or is the roof sagging? New rooves cost tens of thousands of dollars. Sagging rooves could reflect more serious problems like subsidence or structural issues. Visit the house on a rainy day to check for leaks.
• Look for asbestos. Removing asbestos from your own property is not illegal, but the safest option is to call in the experts and this is expensive. Asbestos can appear in fences, garden sheds and houses. It can be either flat or corrugated sheeting. It was used in water or flue pipes, roof shingles, building boards, imitation brick cladding, plaster patching compounds, textured paint, vinyl floor tiles and the backing of linoleum floor coverings.
• Check any areas where the wood touches the ground to make sure that termites haven’t accessed the structure of the house. On areas where there are bricks between the soil and wood, check for termite paths. Termites can destroy a house and this is rarely covered by insurance.
• Look under the house. Are there are underground streams or general damp? This can be very expensive.
• Examine the orientation of the house. Poor positioning can make it over-hot or cold, which will cost money to regulate. There might also be problems with privacy.
• Check any external plumbing (pipes often run under houses and along walls) for leaks.
• Are the gutters rusted or leaking, sawed off, attached to proper drainage?
• Does the house need any external painting? A good paint job can run into the tens of thousands of dollars, particularly for two-storey houses. Ask the vendor when the house was last painted. A paint job usually lasts about 10 years if done properly.
• Does the driveway comply with council regulations? Check that it is in good order.
• Check garage doors and fuse boxes.
• Make sure that any recent additions to the house have council approval.
• Does the house look straight?
• Check the positioning and condition of television antennas. Turn on a TV to check the signal.

By Sarah Mills

*Check with local suppliers for current pricing.

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